The present application is related to a contemporaneously filed U.S. patent application entitled to xe2x80x9cELECTRICAL CONNECTOR WITH INSERT-MOLDING STRUCTURExe2x80x9d, and another application entitled to xe2x80x9cELECTRICAL CONNECTORxe2x80x9d, invented by the same inventor, and assigned to the common assignee.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to a modular jack assembly having a plurality of detachable insert subassemblies.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a Local Area Network (LAN) such as a small business company, a plurality of computers and servers are interconnected through an infrastructure. In order to provide a convenient access to the server, a router has been introduced in which a plurality of modular jacks, serving input and output ports, has been introduced. As a result, information as well as data can be freely and quickly communicated within the LAN.
In order to reduce the cost and space, a modular jack assembly, which integrates a plurality of modular jacks in a single housing, has been widely adopted in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,612 issued to Goodall et al on Jul. 2, 1996 discloses such a modular jack assembly. The Goodall modular jack assembly comprises a plurality of modular jacks assembled to a common integral housing and disposed in back-to-back mirror image symmetry.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,267 issued to Loudermilk on Jun. 17, 1997 also discloses a modular jack assembly. The Loudermilk modular jack assembly comprises an outer case defining a plurality of chambers and a plurality of insert subassemblies received in corresponding chambers. Each chamber forms a pair of hook portions. Each insert subassembly comprises a pair of locking wedges engaging with the hook portions of a corresponding chamber, thereby securely retaining the insert subassembly in the outer case. After the modular jack assembly is fabricated, it must be verified whether every insert subassembly thereof is capable of functioning properly. However, if an insert subassembly is test to be defective, the defective insert subassembly cannot be replaced from the outer case because of the retaining of the locking wedges, resulting in a bad quality of the Loudermilk modular jack assembly.
Hence, an improved modular jack assembly is desired to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.
A main object of the present invention is to provide a modular jack assembly having a plurality of detachable insert subassemblies.
A modular jack assembly in accordance with the present invention comprises an outer case and a plurality of insert subassemblies. The outer case defines a plurality of chambers. A pair of engaging channels are defined in opposite inner surfaces of each chamber. Each engaging channel has an engaging recess in a distal end thereof. Each insert subassembly is inserted into a corresponding chamber from a rear wall of the outer case and comprises a pair resilient latch arms engaging with the engaging channels of a corresponding chamber of the outer case, thereby retaining the insert subassembly in the outer case. Each latch arm forms an engaging protrusion for engaging with an engaging recess of a corresponding chamber for securely retaining the insert subassembly in the outer case.
Pulling rearwardly a defective insert subassembly, the resilient latch arms of the defective insert subassembly are forced to be elastically deform to each other. As a same time, the engaging protrusions of the resilient latch arms disengage from the engaging recesses of the outer case. As a result, the defective insert subassembly is pulled out from the outer case. The modular jack assembly can be renewed by inserting a properly functioning insert subassembly.